The Old Frizzle, Wimbledon, SW19

A surprisingly large place done up in a sort of ranch style with wood-covered ceilings and fairly low light, possibly aiming at food trade during the day and the circuit at night. The curved bar extends through to a rear room where there is a small stage and a couple of large sports TV screens. The overall effect is not unpleasant but you get the impression it might get overcrowded in the evenings. Two handpumps offered Doom Bar and Wimbledon Common, the latter in acceptable if not brilliant condition.

The reviews below convinced me that this relatively new bar in the centre of Wimbledon might yield an interesting beer or two, so when I found myself passing through recently, I decided to pop in and check it out. Sadly, on this occasion the four hand pumps on the front bar could only muster up Sharp's Doom Bar between them, so I rather begrudgingly ordered a pint before having a quick nose around. The layout certainly favours diners, with the whole bare boarded front room filled with set tables and standard seating. A curved servery runs along the back wall before making its way down the extended left hand side of the room, where a high banquette runs parallel on the opposite side. The windows were filled with lit fairy lights, which slightly screens the diners from outside, although no-one was eating on my early evening visit - the only customers being a couple of old boys propping up the bar. However, moving through into the rear room, there were quite a few more punters in an area clearly more suited to those just wanting a drink. This is quite a large, space with a high gabled ceiling, dark wood flooring, walls painted in dark shades, a skylit rear half and large display shelves and artworks adorning the walls. In the rear corner there is a nice raised seating area with a comfy curved banquette, whilst to the other side there is a small stage with an elaborate chesterfield sofa and armchairs arranged next to it. A few high tables and stools close to the bar round out the seating options in this part of the pub and I thought it was actually quite a decent spot for a relaxing pint. A TV screen near the bar was turned off throughout my stay, although funk music played quietly in the background instead. I didn't get a proper look at the menu, but did notice a 'Theatre Menu' advertising three courses for £17. I think there is an opportunity for a decent ale outlet (other than the Wetherspoons) to thrive in central Wimbledon and I had hoped this place might fill that void, but was very disappointed with an average pint of Doom Bar. I thought there were some glimpses of potential here but not really enough to draw me back for a second visit. Whatever way you look at it though, it's a massive improvement on the Walkabout pub that used to occupy this premises.

This is still mainly a restaurant with all the tables (apart from a low table accompanying the sofa/armchairs) being laid for diners (cutlery and paper knapkins). There were no reserved signs when I was in, and I didn’t get the impression that they were off limits to drinkers. But maybe it depends on the time and day and how busy they are. This place has already been well described, and the only things I would add are that for me it had something of the feel of a Mexican cantina, and that as well as the common feature of a bare-boarded floor it also had the more uncommon feature of a bare-boarded ceiling. I only saw two handpumps, but maybe I missed others if they were tucked away at the other end of the bar. But when I saw that one of the pumps had on By The Horns Diamond Geezer (£3.90 a pint), I didn’t really look any further. The other pump had a reversed clip for By The Horns Stiff Upper Lip. The food is what I would term international cuisine, with sausage and mash, chicken Kiev and the like. This is not really a pub, and is not the sort of place where you are likely to go for an evening session, but if you’re in Wimbledon looking for somewhere to eat you could do a lot worse than go for this place where you stand a good chance of getting an excellent pint or two to wash down your meal.

Official site of the Old Frizzle, contains menu and event details - www.theoldfrizzle.co.uk